Skip to Content
Return to Search

2026 Dairy Plus Program

Grantor:
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
Departmental Grant ID:
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
Portal ID:
164058
Status:
Active
Open Date:
6/16/26 13:28
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) 2026 Dairy Plus Program will award competitive grants to California dairy farms for the implementation of advanced manure management practices that address both methane emissions and nitrogen and salt surplus.

Description:

The 2026 Dairy Plus Program will make approximately $34 million available to support the implementation of advanced manure management practices.

The 2026 Dairy Plus Program will provide supplemental funding opportunities for projects in previous and in-progress Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) and Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), and for projects in the process of implementing a system that is equivalent to approved AMMP and/or DDRDP practices (i.e., AMMP-like and/or DDRDP-like practices). Projects proposing advanced manure management practices must go beyond the usual GHG emission reductions and benefits already provided by the AMMP and DDRDP, and equivalent AMMP and/or DDRDP-like practices:

         · The maximum grant term will be 12 months initially, with the possibility of 24 months pending extension of contract end date approval from USDA. The start and end dates of the grant agreement are subject to change and contingent on the approval of the CPA 52 (NRCS-CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet) for the proposed project, as well as pending extension of contract end date approval from USDA.

         · Project funding award cap at $750 per cow, for a maximum of $1,250,000 per project.

         · Grants are paid out on a reimbursement basis following invoice submission by the awardee. Grant funds are subject to state and federal program reimbursement timelines and the availability of program funding.

The proposed project must meet the following eligibility requirements for the 2026 Dairy Plus Program:

         · The project site must be in a commercial California dairy operation. A dairy operation is defined as an entity that operates a dairy herd, which produces milk or cream commercially, and whose bulk milk or bulk cream is received or handled by any distributor, manufacturer, or any nonprofit cooperative association of dairy producers.

        · California farmers, ranchers, and California Native American Tribes are eligible to apply. Producers receiving grant award funds must be located in California with a physical California business address.

        · Producers receiving grant award funds must be registered with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) for the specific farm/tract information for all tracts. Note: One farm per tract is eligible for award.

       · Only 1 FSA-registered entity is eligible for an award in each solicitation round. If multiple dairy operations under one FSA-registered entity/producer name are selected, only 1 dairy will be awarded.

       ·Eligible project types can be categorized as:

        o In-progress or previous AMMP recipient proposing a Dairy Plus Program project.

        o In-progress or previous DDRDP recipient proposing a Dairy Plus Program project.

        o In-progress or already operational “AMMP approved practice/AMMP-like” or “DDRDP approved practice/DDRDP-like" system proposing a Dairy Plus Program project.

      · The recipient and project must adhere to all “Requirements and Limitations,” which include federal requirements specific to the USDA Advancing Markets for Producers program.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Business
  • Individual
  • Tribal Government

Site must be in a commercial California dairy operation, defined as an entity that operates a dairy herd, which produces milk or cream commercially, whose bulk milk or cream is received/handled by distributor, manufacturer, or nonprofit cooperative association of producers. CA farmers, ranchers, and CA Native American Tribes are eligible to apply. Producers receiving grant award funds must be registered with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Eligible Geographies:

Projects in the State of California.

Matching Funding Requirement:

Mo matching funds are required.

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
November 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
12 months

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$34,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • Federal

Funding Source Notes:

The California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF), in collaboration with CDFA and several other organizations, has been awarded $85 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Approximately $34 million of the total awarded amount will support the implementation of advanced manure management practices through the new Dairy Plus Program.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

Grants are paid out on a reimbursement basis following invoice submission by the recipient. Grant funds are subject to state and federal program reimbursement timelines and the availability of program funding.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Dairy Plus Program Team, 1-916-214-1227, CDFA.OEFI_DairyPlus@cdfa.ca.gov

Similar to This Grant